News & Public Involvement

Community Involvement

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) is committed to keeping its neighbors informed on all project activities that may impact property owners. During the development of the project design, the PTC has held several public meetings to share project plans and address the public's concerns. The PTC also developed a Design Roundtable group consisting of various stakeholders throughout the corridor, including representatives from state and local agencies, neighboring communities and environmental agencies to provide input on the design of the project.

The PTC held a virtual meeting on June 22, 2021 at 6:00 pm at the request of the community. A portion of the meeting was taped and can be viewed using the link below. The PTC also provided responses to several written questions submitted by the community in advance of the meeting, which are also included below.

The PTC will continue to share information and respond to questions from the community as the project progresses to construction. Please check back for additional information.

• Community Questions and Answers

Project Photo Album

Construction Progress Photos

Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission Releases 2022 Sustainability Report

The report highlights initiatives the Commission is doing toward a sustainable future.

• Fiber Optic Network: When complete, the 500-mile fiber-optic network will reduce carbon footprint and extend broadband to help close the digital divide in underserved areas along the Turnpike.
• Pollinator Garden: A pollinator habitat has been cultivated at the Turnpike central office to replace grassy areas with native plants that attract and provide a habitat for insects like bees and butterflies. The outcome is reduced mowing and insecticide use along with lower maintenance costs.
• Roadside Vegetation: An Integrated Roadside Vegetation Management pilot program offers an environmentally safe maintenance approach to restore native and natural habitats, filter pollution, reduce erosion, and improve ecosystem diversity along the roadside.
• Wireless EV Charging: Currently in development is a project to charge Electric Vehicles (EVs) as they drive. A method of wireless power transfer called “inductive charging” employs coils embedded in the pavement to create a magnetic field that is ‘picked up’ by a receiver on EVs.

Traffic Noise Resources

Noise Impact Analysis

A noise impact analysis report was prepared for the entire Milepost 320-326 corridor from the Route 29 Interchange (Milepost 320) to the Valley Forge Interchange (Milepost 326). This report describes the methodology and presents the findings of the traffic noise study conducted for the full-depth reconstruction project of the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Chester and Montgomery Counties, Pennsylvania. The full-depth reconstruction project will convert the existing four-lane roadway with a 10-foot median to a six-lane typical section with a 26-foot median. The purpose of the traffic noise study is (1) to determine if project-related noise impacts will occur and (2) to determine whether noise abatement for affected areas in the form of sound barriers or other mitigation measures would be warranted, feasible, and reasonable, based upon Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) criteria as utilized by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC).

Noise Impact Analysis Report

The Noise Impact Analysis Report is a Large File (Approximately 30MB). Depending on Your Internet Connection, Downloading Time Will Vary.

Recommended Sound Barrier Locations

This section provides direct access to the maps that show recommended sound barrier locations throughout the Mileposts 320-326 project area without having to download the entire Noise Analysis Report. Sheets 6 and 7 pertain to this project and sheets 1 through 5 pertain to Milepost 320 to 324 project that will be constructed at a later date. The earth berm behind the Valley Forge Service Plaza has already been constructed to serve as a sound barrier.

Sheet 6   Sheet 7

Community Involvement

In September 2011, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission met with impacted property owners in the project area to determine whether or not they wanted a sound barrier and if so, the preferred color and texture of the barrier facing the community. View the results at the link below.

Sound Barrier Community Meetings

Please use the Contact Us page to communicate with the project team.

Sound Barrier Community Meetings

Sound Barrier Community Meetings (September 26 & 27, 2011)

On September 26 and 27, 2011, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission met with impacted property owners in the project area to determine whether or not they wanted a sound barrier and if so, the preferred color and texture of the barrier facing the community.

These Sound Barrier Community Meetings were held at the Valley Forge Middle School in Wayne, Pa. and were attended by a total of 192 residents over two nights. Impacted property owners (those predicted to be impacted by traffic noise during the project's design year (2035) as defined in the Noise Impact Analysis Report) were invited to attend and cast their votes. All impacted property owners voted on whether or not they were in favor of construction of a sound barrier. Only property owners whose property line touches the Turnpike right-of-way line or future sound barrier location were asked to give their preferences for the color and texture of the wall. These impacted property owners were then divided into nine color-coded voting groups based on continuity of sound barriers and sight line of barriers.

Please click on the following links to view the meeting materials and displays that were available at the meeting, including the color and texture choices available for the sound barriers and a link to the sound barrier mapping for the project area.

Color and Texture Options